


A Place to Belong

by Leahelisabeth (fortheloveofcamelot)



Series: Longing and Belonging [1]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Faerie AU, Faerie Neil, Fantasy AU, Gen, Magic AU, Soulless Andrew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-11 17:34:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11719164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortheloveofcamelot/pseuds/Leahelisabeth
Summary: Neil has been on the run in the human world for a long time.  Now he has the opportunity to find a home with people who might be able to understand him.





	A Place to Belong

**Author's Note:**

> This is my gift for uzea-ke on Tumblr for the AFTGExchange.

It was a perfect morning. The sun was rising over the rolling hills, catching in the dewdrops, and stealing into his little copse of trees. Neil stood and stretched, his spine popping, and heaved a sigh of relief that yet another night was over and he was still here, breathing free air in the human world. He crawled out into the clearing and looked regretfully into the little shelter he had carved out for himself. The floor was clean and dry. He had thatched a little roof to keep out the rain. It was probably the most comfortable place he had lived since...his mother...but today was the last day he could stay there. It was too dangerous to linger, even for one more day.

“Neil,” a soft voice spoke from behind him.

Neil whirled in place, heart pounding, only to be confronted by an imposing figure of a man, tall, broad, and backlit by the rising sun so Neil couldn’t make out any features.

“I don’t know you,” Neil said as his eyes darted around, looking for available escape routes.

“No, you don’t.” The man grumbled. “I don’t really know you either, but the name’s Wymack. And Kevin says we need you. He tends to have a good sense about these things.”

“Kevin Day?” Neil gasped. At Wymack’s short nod, Neil chose his escape route and fled, deeper into the thicket. There was an explosion of pain that left him breathless and he realised that he wasn’t running anymore. He opened blurred eyes to see a blond man above him.

“Andrew, this is why we can’t have nice things,” Wymack growled from behind them.

Neil got to his feet slowly because this was someone he did recognize, Andrew Minyard, the boy without a soul. His mother had sold her son Aaron to a rich and powerful faerie in exchange for immortality. But she had changed her mind and begged for him to be returned. The faerie refused and they struggled pulling the boy between them until they tore him in two. And thus they came to an agreement. The faerie would make each half whole and they would depart and be satisfied. But the soul cannot be divided so easily as the body. Aaron was seemingly whole but the newly created Andrew was an empty shell, an abomination. The faerie did not realise until later that something was lacking in Andrew. She soon grew tired of him for what use was he to her without a soul? He disappeared for many years, only to resurface with powerful magic and no conscience to govern it. He and the faerie who created him were dragged before the Seelie court. She was sentenced to death but Andrew was bound. From his place on the ground, Neil could see the black iron cuffs, encasing Andrew's forearms from wrist to elbow, engraved with the spells meant to keep him muzzled, to keep him docile, to make him safe.

“Fuck you,” Neil snarled.

Andrew laughed, bright and empty. “He sounds like a fox already.”

Wymack spread his arms and vines exploded from the trees around them, weaving a thick wall of green. “Just hear us out.”

Neil had nowhere to run so he stood his ground and gazed evenly into the eyes of the young man in front of him, steeling himself to look into the void where a soul should be. Andrew gazed back, unafraid, and something flickered in his eyes. Neil furrowed his brow and tried to look deeper but Andrew looked away.

“Look, you’ve been on the run a long time. I don’t even want to know how long you’ve been living in these trees. Have a hot meal or two, maybe a bath. Scratch that, definitely a bath. If you still want to run again in a couple of days, I won’t stop you,” Wymack said softly.

“Don’t be nice to him. It’s not what he wants,” a new voice piped up behind Neil.

Neil whirled to face the new threat and saw him, Kevin Day. He looked different, older. Neil remembered him from before, bright like a fresh minted copper coin, practically drenching him in the promise of friendship. The last time Neil saw Kevin, he was drenched in blood and the light had already begun to dim. Kevin didn’t feel safe then or now, but Neil could not sense a hint of recognition. Wymack exuded harmlessness and a hint of earth, tree roots reaching deep, growing things stretching up to the sky. And Andrew, Neil expected to feel nothing from him, but he could still sense that flicker of something. That more than anything has Neil giving in and following Wymack down a path not of his own choosing. He could stop running, just long enough to solve this mystery, and then he would be on his way.

* * *

Neil hadn’t had a home for a long time. And whatever this was in front of him, it didn’t resemble his experiences in any way. They had left the hills where Neil had been hiding and walked deep into the forest and into the shadow of Mount Palmetto. The trees were old and huge and smelled of nothing but deep sleep and slow existence. They walked for hours because apparently none of their group had travel magics at any kind. Finally they reached the foot of the mountain and the trees parted to reveal a waterfall running down the rock and feeding into a small lake. A tree stood apart from the others right on the shore and outstripped them by another hundred feet of height. It was of a height to rival Castle Evermore but instead of black stone and imposing architecture, all Neil could see was greenness and goodness.

Wymack marched them right up over the roots of the tree, reached out his hand, and firmly placed it on the bark. His fingers glowed with green light and a beautiful woman stepped out of the tree and gripped Wymack’s hand.

“Welcome, travellers,” she trilled. “My name is Abby. This is my tree.”

Neil hadn’t spoken with many dryads but once again he was struck with the nearly uncontrollable urge to run. Andrew, as if sensing his restless feet, moved up closer behind him and hedged him in. The dryad, Abby, reached out her hand to Neil and Neil took it. She gazed into his eyes and it was almost as if she was peeling his skin away to look at the soul beneath. Could she see? Did she know what he was and why he was running? But all she did was nod. 

“This one belongs,” she said.

And Neil wondered what she meant. Because he didn’t belong anywhere anymore. 

Abby stepped back into the tree and soon a door opened up in the side and Wymack led them through. Neil worried that he might be claustrophobic. He hadn’t been inside a building in years. But the tree was hollow and opened up straight to the sky on the inside. He looked up and up and saw staircases winding around the inside of the tree and doors that led off the staircase into the tree trunk. 

Andrew and Kevin disappeared somewhere and left Wymack to deal with Neil. “Follow me,” he said gruffly.

Wymack led Neil up the staircase until the ground was about 50 feet below them and opened the door in front of them. “This will be your room. You’ll be sharing it with two others but we’ll leave you alone tonight to settle in.” He didn’t waste time on pleasantries but left Neil to figure out how to proceed on his own.

Neil shut the door behind Wymack and looked around. The room consisted of a large open space with three alcoves set around it. The one to the left of the door was filthy with dirt and dry leaves. THe bedding was ripped open and the pillow was leaking feathers. The one to the right of the door was much cleaner but cluttered with tiny, intricately carved wooden figurines. Neil looked and he swore he could see them dancing. He was tempted to go in to get a better look but put them from his mind and turned to the alcove right across from the door. It was empty. Sheets, blankets, and a lone pillow sat in a pile at the foot of the bed. He walked closer and saw that tree roots had formed a low table at the head of the bed but there was no other furniture. He knelt on the floor and peered into the tangle of roots that supported the bed and wondered if it would be safe to hide something there.

He heard the sound of vines behind him and turned to see a small box forming from the ground. He sat beside it and waited until the size seemed right. Then he put his hand on top. It stopped growing immediately, separated itself from the floor, and the top of the box opened to reveal a small cavity inside. He opened and closed the lid a few times. The lid seemed to respond to his magic and he could sense that Abby had detached it from her influence after creating it for him. Only he could open the lid. He reached into his shirt and pulled out the small jar he carried on a chain around his neck. It glowed faintly. He caressed the side and it glowed brighter for an instant.

“You’ll be safe here,” he whispered. And he put the jar inside and sealed the lid. And then finally, he dropped his guard enough to relax. He was almost too tired to make the bed but he managed it before he tumbled down onto it and was asleep an instant later.

* * *

Neil was hesitant to leave in the morning but his growling stomach soon drew him out of the warmth of his blankets. He opened the door and a tall man sitting on the steps immediately shot to his feet.

“I’m Matt,” he said and stuck out his hand for Neil to shake.

“Um...nice to meet you?” Neil said as he attempted to pull his hand back from Matt’s enthusiastic grip. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh sorry!” Matt clapped Neil on the shoulder, practically knocking him over. “I live here. In this room, obviously. I...Dan is back and I wanted to show her my latest creation.” He strode past Neil into one of the alcoves and returned with one of the wooden figurines. He held it out for Neil to get a closer look.

Neil gasped. He was looking at a piece of wood, barely an inch tall, and carved into a unicorn. Every muscle, every hair in its mane, every notch in its needle like horn was lovingly detailed and so real it could gallop away at any moment.

“It’s magic,” Neil breathed.

“Well...no, not exactly.” Matt rubbed the back of his neck ruefully. “I mean, Dan enchants the wood so I can get it that thin without breaking it, but I do the carving by hand. And I don’t have any magic.”

Neil looked Matt in the eye and saw that it was true. There wasn’t even a spark of magic in him. 

Matt looked away from Neil’s scrutiny. “I’m also here to fetch you for breakfast. You hungry?”

Neil’s stomach took the opportunity to express how much it approved of the idea and Neil obediently followed Matt downstairs to the main area in the middle of the hollow tree. A group of strange people sat around the table. Some of them looked down at their plates, trying not to be obvious but still others blatantly stared at him. A girl with a short cropped head of hair stood up and came to meet them. Matt leaned down easily and kissed her lightly and pressed the unicorn into her hands. She smiled softly down at it for a moment before turning her smile on Neil.

“My name is Dan,” she explained. “I’m next in command after Wymack. If you need anything, you can feel free to come to me.” She didn’t reach out to touch him and he is grateful for that. 

“Come and grab some food,” she handed him a plate and showed him an open chair.next to Kevin. At first glance, he thought the blond on Kevin’s other side was Andrew but the boy turned to look at him and the magic was all wrong. Whereas Andrew showed no emotion save that flicker that was so deep down, Neil thought he had imagined it, this boy carried everything on the surface, curiosity, hunger, worry, and everything tinged with the violent cast of anger. This must be Aaron, the twin with the soul.

“Where’s Andrew?” Neil asked, surprising himself.

“Interesting,” Andrew’s voice came from behind him. “You knew that wasn’t me. Most newcomers take a little while to figure out who is who. In fact, Seth still probably can’t tell us apart.”

“Fuck you, Minyard,” A boy from the other end of the table growled. He stood and came around and loomed over Andrew.

“Why you let our attack dog sit at the table, I will never know,” Andrew said evenly.

Seth lunged at Andrew but was stopped short as another person entered the room.

“Seth,” the girl began in a sing song tone. “Is that really necessary?”

To Neil’s surprise, Seth calmed and went back to his seat and continued to eat his breakfast. The girl came in and smiled brightly. Neil immediately wondered if she belonged here. She was impeccably dressed in a flowing dress that caught the light in hues of blue and green. Her blonde hair waved gently as it fell well past her waist. A dusting of fine scales painted her temples and cheekbones. The effect would have been dazzling if Neil had been easily dazzled. 

“I am Allison,” she purred as she draped herself over him in a tight hug. “Let me know if you need anything.” She winks at him. “And I really do mean anything.”

Neil turned beet red and suddenly can’t find words.

“You’re a bit much, Allison,” a much shorter girl came and dragged Allison off of Neil and into her own hug. She then deposited Allison at the table and held out her hand for Neil to shake. “I’m Renee.”

And Neil knew he should shake her hand. She was tiny. She was smiling. Her hair was nearly white blond with streaks of pastel colour. She looked sweet and harmless and gentle. But Neil looked at her and all he could see were banked coals and he couldn’t stop wondering what it would take to transform them into a torrent of flame.

She waited perhaps a second longer than was comfortable for him to reciprocate the handshake before putting her hand back at her side and taking her seat at the table. Her smile never faltered.

“Is that everyone?” Neil asked Andrew who was still somehow at his side.

“Everyone that matters,” Andrew said.

“I’m hurt!” Another boy, older than Andrew, walked out into the common room. He was shirtless and his dark hair was dripping wet. “How could you leave me out? Especially when our guest is so cute! Did anyone call dibs before I got here?”

“No, Nicky,” Andrew said. Nicky opened his mouth to speak again but Andrew cut him off. “And you’re not allowed.”

“Spoilsport,” Nicky pouted. “How could you be so mean to your own cousin?”

“Cousin?” Neil asked, looking at the contrast between Nicky’s dark complexion and Andrew’s fair skin. “By blood?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Andrew shoved his cousin away. Neil looked at Nicky. Something was bothering him about the boy. He wasn’t getting a bad vibe from him. It was more like he wasn’t getting a vibe at all. He wondered for a fleeting instance if the cousin was soulless too but if that were the case, he should be able to sense the emptiness. He looked at Nicky and it was if his magic had deserted him entirely.

Andrew interrupted his thoughts by finally shoving Neil into his seat and sitting down beside him. He dragged the plate of pancakes over from the centre of the table and piled them high with heavy cream and sugar. He served a plate up for Neil too but Neil blocked his arm when he tried to add the sugar. He took a bite of a plain pancake and savoured the feeling of warm food. It had been so long since he had had a meal that he hadn’t scavenged.

He looked around the table and he couldn’t figure out why they were there. Some were broken, others were dangerous. Some of them seemed to be so very good, too good to associate with the likes of him. But they were a unit and suddenly Neil ached to know his place among them. He could stay, just for a little while. He would stay here until the winter solstice, until his father returned to walk the mortal world once more. Until then, he could find out what it meant to belong.


End file.
